Carnival Mardi Gras & Homeopathy in Belle Anse, Haiti

February 7, 2013Here I am, on my second trip to Haiti with Homeopaths “Sans Frontières”—I spiffed up my French to be able to communicate with the Haitian people better. My Creole is basically nonexistent but if you know the words “meci” (thank you) and “enpils” (a lot), you can get pretty far. More on that, later. We all arrived on the same flight, allowing us to bond early in our adventure. We stayed at a new bed and breakfast in Port-au-Prince, which was far superior to our last experience at Matthew 25. Especially because it is run by Elena, who was one of the main people at Matthew 25. Very welcoming, good food and good beds! We left the next morning at 7.30 a.m. for Belle Anse. Another night at the bed and breakfast would have been nice, but we get a few more at the end of the trip to look forward to. Jo, our usual driver, drove us through the mountains to Jacmel, where we encountered some kids celebrating Mardi Gras. Having just come back from New Orleans and experienced a very colorful, musical Mardi Gras, this was actually a bit scary. Kids in masks and clothes made out of very dirty rags, often with ropes attached as if they were prisoners, some with few clothes on, beating old pots and making noises. Not attractive whatsoever—I need to find out the meaning of it all. If we looked at them often they would beg for money. We arrived in Marigot on the Caribbean, where we boarded a boat for a one and a half hour boat ride to Belle Anse. We had the same captain as the last time. Now, don’t imagine a yacht steering us along the coast. This is a motorized wooden boat and you need to hang on when hitting the waves, but the captain really does a great job. For me personally the shock was less intense than the last time. You somehow imagine arriving at this beautiful resort with lots of palm trees but the poverty hits you right when coming off the boat. There is nothing here but shacks and people surviving life. However, the Fundamentals of Homeopathy program offered by HWB attracted a lot of people. Students came from all different communities, with some walking three hours to get to Belle Anse—they will walk home tonight and back tomorrow for the next class. In the morning there was some confusion going on, but Holly handled it calmly, as usual. She calls it “putting out fires.” At the end of the day, the teaching by PG was successful and it turns out that this is quite inquisitive group, all of whom are very eager to learn. Wendy (a first time volunteer) and I ran a clinic for children in “La Place,” a sort of Gazebo in the center of town. We were very well tuned in to each other and had a great working relationship with a view of the Caribbean. We saw quite a few infants today with a variety of problems but most children had colds and coughs. It gets quite challenging because often it is not the mother who bring the infant or child and good information is hard to obtain. We keep telling the mothers who come to breastfeed their babies as long as possible because nourishment goes downhill once the children start eating. We had several infants today that were given bonbons (candy) to suck on. Here is where the word “anpils” come in handy because it is used for complaints all the time. It hurts a lot: “Ca fais mal anpils.” Wendy is an outdoorsy type and knows how to survive in the wilderness. Holly and Wendy came quite equipped with any gadget you can imagine and meals are being whipped up. I feel hopeless and ill-equipped as a city girl but I brought good chocolate! Finally, the Haitians are really amazing and are true survivors, who do not complain about their lot. It is a great privilege to be able to work with them.~ Marina Braun